When James Fox locked in his final shots at Camp Perry in July, he didn’t need a scoreboard to know they mattered. The 40-year-old from Albany, Oregon, had been trading leads and holding his nerve for three relentless days on the firing line of the 2025 CMP National Rifle Championship. By the time the last round settled, Fox had pulled off one of the tightest victories in recent memory, clinching the Service Rifle title with a score of 2375-108X—just one point ahead of U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit competitor Spc. Zevin Linse.
Fox’s path to the top wasn’t easy. The CMP Nationals feature three straight days of 80-shot matches, high temperatures, shifting wind off Lake Erie and the unforgiving precision of electronic scoring. But Fox proved unshakable. While military shooters surged early, Fox surged late, topping all civilian scorers on both day two and day three. His consistency in the standing slow fire stages (the most mentally punishing of them all) earned him a separate aggregate title and cemented his place at the top of the leaderboard.
Behind him, 23-year-old Army Spc. Zevin Linse of the USAMU was just one X-ring away from glory. Linse fired a 2374-95X—a number that on almost any other year would have been enough to win. His AMU teammate, Staff Sgt. Verne Conant, 29, of Cataula, Georgia, finished third with a 2373-109X, the highest X-count of the top three.
But this was more than just a three-man race. Sixteen-year-old Eli Graff of Cincinnati showed why he’s considered one of the sport’s rising stars, capturing the High Junior title with a 2344-59X. On the women’s side, Spc. Amber Kingshill, 22, continued to build her reputation, placing fifth overall and finishing as High Woman with dominance in rapid fire and prone stages. Senior competitors held their own too—60-year-old Christopher Wyatt (2346-98X) led the Senior category, while 77-year-old David Shellhammer took the High Grand Senior honor.
In the Match Rifle competition, West Virginia’s Fritz Hempelmann, 65, led the field with a 2367-115X, showing that age hasn’t dulled his edge. And in team events, the Army’s firepower was on full display, as USAMU shooters swept top honors in the Service Rifle 4-person match.
Fox’s victory stands out not just for the score, but for what it represents, a civilian shooter rising to meet the challenge of elite military marksmen, under pressure and with precision. It’s the kind of performance High Power Rifle legends are made of.
And this year, James Fox just wrote his chapter.
See the full results of the 2025 CMP National Rifle Championship at the CMP website.
